Apparatus for the injection of plastic materials



March 5, 1963 R. MILLE 3,079,638

APPARATUS FOR THE INJECTION OF PLASTIC MATERIALS Filed Aug. 5. 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I07 I08 lOl n2 lol' I5 "52 IISI o 2 LL R. MILLE 3,079,638

APPARATUS FOR THE INJECTION OF PLASTIC MATERIALS March 5, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 5, 1959 lNVE/VTOR PH yMo/vp M/LLE to l i r enses a A -avs a H" r l p 9 9 i; i 2 x: i g i r r a gas imagig vw I Fatented Mar. 5, 1953 3 976 (m The present invention uses materials which are previfi 1,030 T ously brought into a state of high plasticity, this state APEARATUS ggiififg 6F :QLASTEC being obtained by common means, usually by heating.

Raymond Millie, 41 Rue Liandier, Marseille, France Elie-d Aug. 3, 1959, Ser. No. $31,2ll3 2 Claims. {63. 13-30) This is a continuation in part of my co-pending U.S. Patent application Serial No. 600,516 filed 27th July 1956, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for in jecting materials in a plastic condition, e.g. thermoplastic, polymerizablc thermosetting, or rubberlike vulca-nizablc thermosetting materials.

Many injection machines have been proposed and most of them are concerned with the use of individual thermoplastics which are made plastic by heating and become again stiff by cooling, exclusive of any setting. Others are concerned with the polymerizable thermosetting materials, es' ecially those Whose polymerization temperature is for example about 2%" F. higher than the temperature at which they become conveniently plastic. A small number of machines are concerned with rubberlike vulcanizable materials, and each of them is designed for very special uses. According to their in gradients and formula, the rubber compounds become plastic at about from 140 to 160 F.; their plasticity increases with the temperature, but at about 250 F. great risk of scorching occurs. At about 30'Zl350 E, risks of decomposition occur: consequently, the risk of binding the machine, following an untimely scorching, is high. Generally speaking, the rubber injection machines use the material in a cold state. Consequently, the machines have for their main technical eiiect the plasticizing of the material, at a distance from the pressure means. The injection offers only secondary dificulties and indeed the injection needs only low power when the material has been rendered plastic.

The types of the machines previously proposed divide in two kinds, i.e. screw machines, more or less arising from the well-known extruding machines, and piston machines.

In the screw machines, the material is admitted in a convenient stiii state and runs along the threading or" a revolving Worm which rotates inside a cylinder. The material is heated by the rolling, the rubbing, and by the contact with the heated cylinder wall. it comes into a heated compression chamber and is driven out through a nozzle. In many cases, the extrusion through the nozzle is used to overheat the material. The pressure above the nozzle is much higher than the one below it, and the working of the pressure during the passing of the constricted nozzle is changed into internal heat within the material. Machines of this type allow to deta l pressures up to from 8,000 to 12,090 lb./sq.i. ey do not suit rubber-like materials, because tl e material remains in the compression chamber. The temperatures are not homogeneous, and scorching occurs almost inevitably.

In the piston machines, the piston has hitherto always had a single straight stroke. if the material ecomes plastic in front of the piston, it binds the machine. Therefore, it was hitherto not possible to use the rubberlilie materials in a plastic condition. The material placed before the piston was necessarily in a convenient condition. Huge pressures were needed for causing the material to become plastic by passing through a constricted nozzle, of .1 diameter, or less. The trial pressures used with rubber have been 20,000 to 35,000 ill/SL1. in. For some plastic non rubber-like materials, the pressures used have been up to 90,000 lb./sq.i. The machinery is thus cumbersome, heavy, and expensive.

In this state, the injection is simple provided that the necessary arrangements have been made to prevent the binding of the thrusting means.

The accompanying drawings show diagrammatically and by way of example an injection moulding machine in accordance with the invention.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a central vertical section of an injection cylinder.

FIG. 2 is a central vertical section of an injection piston for the cylinder of FIG. 1.

1 FIG 3 is a diagrammatic elevation of an assembly comprising the injection machine, and a hydraulic press of known construction to keep the mould closed as long as the mould is full.

FIG. 4 shows in side elevation an example or the formation of the head of the piston of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an end view of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a central vertical section showing the piston of FIG. 2 in operative position within the cylinder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a central vertical section, to a larger scale of part of the piston and cylinder, to show collection of material and formation of the seal between the piston and cylinder.

FIG. 1 shows in longitudinal section a cylindrical chamber 1 having a barrel 12 carrying externally reinforcing bands 3 near which are disposed, at the front, the heating resistances 4, and at the rear a cooling fluid flow circuit 5; at the front there is an ejection orifice 6 and at the rear a charging orifice 7. The element 8 carrying the ejection orifice is shown as being removable for the purpose of emplying the apparatus.

FIG. 2 shows in longitudinal section a piston composed of a metal body carrying a specially shaped head, 9 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) said body having a central channel it for cooling liquid to flow through. The body of the piston is enclosed in a sleeve 11, and a nut 12 threaded onto prestressin The mechanical play between the piston and the chamber can be reduced to a value of some hundredths of a millimetre, eliminating the major risks of flow under pressure, by means of a suitable construction.

in the course of use, the internal pressures, which may be for example from 50 to kg/cm. for certain elastomers, but which can also exceed these values if circum stances require it, would increase these plays and cause blockages, it suitable arrangements were not made.

These arrangements which arise not only from the application of the pro-stressing but also from the choice and treatment of the materials are as follows:

The compression chamber is constituted by an internal lining 2, submitted to pro-stressing by means of one r more external bands 3, juxtaposed or superposed; the placing in position of these bands 3 is performed either by heating the bands, or by cooling the chamber (for example in a liquefied gas such as nitrogen or air), or by combining the two methods. As is usual in the designing of bands, it is sufiicient to make the internal lining in or er to resist the locking pressure in such a manner that this pressure is greater than the forces of expansion which could arise from the unitary pressure on the material, in order to avoid any increase of diameter of the chamber in the course of use;

In order to avoid the diameter of the piston increasing under the action of longitudinal forces, it is submit ted to a longitudinal pre-stressin The head 9 of the piston is carried on the body of the piston. The sleeve 11 is clamped between the head g and the nut -12 threadtolerances for adjustment, and by using heating and coo1 ing as given above, a longitudinal compression will be exerted on the body of the piston; the calculation can be carried out in such a manner as to avoid any increase of the-diameter of the piston in the course of use. For pistons of considerable diameter, the tension rods can be for example multiple instead of single rod.

Thetendency to flowing of the material in the plastic state and the plastic state itself generally depend on the temperature. One is therefore forced to maintain the material, for 'as long as it is incoritact with the head of the piston, at a temperature-such that the flowing under pressure is not readily produced. By way of indicative example 25 to 30 for rich and well-settled natural rubher; 5 to 8 for a mixture of artificial rubber of the GR-S type; less than for'vinyl chloride' to which to of butyl phthalate has been added;

The cooling is assured by any usual means, and by way of non-limiting exaniple, by oneof thefollowing means: I

Use of the direct contact of the head 9 with the mate rialinitially -cooled,,the' material deposited in the front of the chamber being on the contrary suitably heatedj Artificial cooling of a part of the head 9, by means-"of an" internal circulation of a fluid'refrigera'nt; for example fresh" water, brine; cold air, expansion of a-compressed or liquefied gas, or of portions of solidified gas such as carbonicacid' gas; on the other hand anits proper estimation; and by analogous means, cooling" of the rear part of the compression chamber, by means of suit-ably disposed channels 5; the rear part of the'compression chamber can tie-thermally insulated from the forward part by means of an intermediate member of good rigidity such as a laminated material on a paper base of textile and formo-phenolic resins;

Fixing to the head 9'of an element constituted by a suitably cooled material, in such a manner as to make it play the role of a squeegee avoiding all flowing of the heated material situated in front; This portion of material can be kept cold by the cooling of the head9.

With" a view to assuring the reassembly, towards the centre and in front, of the particles of material present: ed against the wall of the chamber, and the sweeping of the particles which could be found adhering to this-wall, the head of the piston is shaped in a suitable form. FIGS. 4 and 5 give an example of shaping of the'head of the piston. In" this example, the general shape is convex, notched with spiral threads the threads'comr'nunicating through their hollows 'with'the cylindrical wallofi the piston in such a manneras to collect, agglutinate and bring towards'the centre, in order to sweep them forward, the particles which would have been able to adhere to'the wall. 7

The movements of'translation and rotation can be integral or otherwise; they can be combined with a helicoid'al movement, if the rod of the piston carries a threa which would not have contact with the material, and which will be movable in a body constituting a nut fas to the fixed frame. One can control one or the other movement separately or otherwise by any mechanical means" or any source of energy. By way of example, manual force, lever, hand wheel, inertia of a wheel in rotation, counterweight, reduction gearing, rack means, connection r'od, pressure of a compressed fluid, steam, electricity, decomposition of a chemical product, etc. In particular one can collect the pressure of the piston by a hydraulic press, pressing on the piston of the appara-' tus by means of a ball'bearing, this piston being put into rotation by a motor which progresses with it.

In FIG. 3, the injecting piston 101, with its passage for cooling fluid 101 and its notched head 102, is axially disposed in a compression chamber 103. Said chamber hasanoutlet'nozzle 104- connected with the mould 1200. In the rear part of the chamber is an opening '105 for charging. The lengthwise motion of the piston 101 is obtained in this example by a hydraulic ram. compris; ing a hydraulic cylinder 106, and a piston 107 fastened on a piston shaft 107. This shaft moves the injecting piston 101. The hydraulic cylinder is connected to a fluidpressure feed system by means of a regulator which receives the fluid "by a pipe 1154' and sends either on the one sided the piston 107' by the pipe 1 151, or, on-the other side by the pipe 1153, or emptying from the cylinder by the pipe 1152. The shaft of the hydraulic piston 107 does not revolve; it is held and guided by the rods 109 and the member 109" fastened on the piston 107.

The injecting piston is setintdrdtatio'nby means of a motor 114, with built-in reduction-gear, whichdrivcs? =a tr-ansferring pin'ion" 113 driving'awheelllz' fastened on the piston 101. In this way, the revolvingof the piston 101 is ensured along-its'wholerun. The-piston101- is moved along by the shaft 107 bymeansyofarhollow shaft which allows theco'oling .finidxtozcom'e'up to the front part ofthe piston head;v The-hollow shaft-.oflthe piston 101 is shown in lonly schematically; ,said shaft revolves inside the :hydraulic shaft by meansoffthe ball bearing's 108'. Atthe r'earipart ofthe hollow shaft; of the piston 1'01, :a stuiiing iglacl.'allowsithe cooling fluid: to enter'from 110 into the pistoni1101, andsto: go out by 111 Heating and cooling means for "the: cylinder 103 are shown at 103a. The piston 101 has aTCOOliBg channelas shown in FIG. 2,. 130, 131 a'11d132larepartsiof.a sup= porting frame; In the press at the right hand? side in; this drawing, 1200 is a mould,1201is1its cavity; 1202 is the passage for injecting the material'into the cavity. 1203 is the heating plates of known kind. 1204-is ahydraulic rain for this press, of'known kind.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the piston head has'spiral. 1andsi21, separated one from another'by helicoidalgrooves- In this example, 22 is the line where the-cylindrical lateral wall of the piston stops. The dotted line 25- shows the bottom of the helicoidal grooves. The arrow 23' shows the revolving of the piston, relative to the shape of the lands and grooves in the example.

The operation is as follows:

That material is previously brought to aplastic condition, so as to flow readily undera low thrust. Such a condition is for example the one ofausualrubb'er com pound, filled with mineral fillers but no carbon biack, at about-160 F. The injection is' easier at higher temperatures, as for example, 210, 230 or 250 F., if'the'compound allows it. The plastic state is easily obtained by common heating -means,=forexa'mple by means of high frequency electric waves, or of milling on. a heated mixing machine, or of heating in an -oven as asheetofabout .1" thickness, or of'extruding through a known extruding machine. In this case, the outlet of the extrudingmaa chine will be wide, and possibly fitted with a sitter, heated by induction, so as to heat the material inits' internal parts. The run of the extrudingmachine may be'cone tinuous so that no material will be kept still and overheated; further the plastic material may beextruded in the shape of a round bar, of diameter adapted to the diam= eter of the compression chamber 103.

The material in aplastic condition is charged through the opening into the chamber 103. The piston 101 revolves continuously and is propelled by the: hydraulic ram while revolving. The material is conveniently fluid; and flows readily through the nozzle 104. It enters the mould cavity 1201, assumes its shape, and is there cured in known manner.

A strict condition for good operation is that the material in a plastic condition will not creep or leak into the minute clearance between the piston and the cylinder wall. For this purpose:

(a) The piston'revolves.

(b) The piston is cooled.

(0) The piston head has a special shape;

The piston is conveniently cooled to cause a layer of the injecting material, in contact with the head-end, to become relatively stifier than the remainder of the injecting material in the cylinder, and thus to form a sliding seal with the cylinder wall. The material of this seal is permanently renewed with cold material by the revolving. Experience has shown that the obtained seal can sustain as high pressures as 10,000- lb./sq.=i.

For the purpose of facilitating illustration of this seal, the clearance between the wall of the piston and the wall of the cylinder has been shown disproportionally wide in FIG. 7. Across the head end of the piston, and extending into the beginning of the clearance 26, as a layer 27 of the injection material which has become cooled and hardened as a result of cooling the piston, the portion of said layer between the wall of the piston and cylinder serving as a sliding seal between the two.

In the cases where particles of the injecting material creep or leak into the minute clearance between the piston and the cylinder wall, these particles are cooled by the piston. They become stiff and elastic and are then broken in small rolls which roll between the piston and the cylinder wall, at an angular speed about the half that of the piston. Thus, they finally fall after a short time into the cavity of one of the grooves in the lateral surface of the piston. These cavities remain empty because the stiff material at the contact of the lands cannot enter them. The helicoidal slopes of the grooves gather the small rolls of stilt material and thrust them into the mass of the injecting material in the compression chamber 163.

This action is shown in FIG. 7, wherein material trapped between the wall, near the head end of the piston, and the wall of the cylinder is represented as small sausage-like rolls 28. It will be apparent that, during rotation of the piston, the rolls 28 will eventually pass into one or other of the grooves 29. The direction of rotation of the piston is such that any such rolls 28 passing into the grooves are thrust axially back into the mass of injection material ahead of the piston.

As the material is plastic, its thrusting occurs under relatively low pressures compared with the known machines.

As an example, it is possible to inject a known rubber compound, as above described, with a pressure of only 40 lb./sq.i., through a nozzle of .25" to .5" diameter. However, it is preferred, because of technical grounds, to use higher pressures, such as 140 to 430 lb./sq.i. This is still much lower than the ten thousand lb./sq.i. ordinarily used. The pressure is easily controlled by setting the diameter of the nozzle which is inter-changeable. The diameter of the nozzle may be calculated by means of the following equation where D is the diameter of the nozzle in inches, P is the injection pressure in lb./sq.i., calculated from the power of the ram and from the diameter of the piston 101; V is the output in cu.i./sec.; k is a coefficient which is to be determined by experience, and is 5 for the above rubber compound when the compound is heated to 250 F., and 45 at 160 F.

In this manner the present invention allows to inject any quantity of any material in a plastic state, and especially of rubber, into any mould of any content or shape, and to do this rapidly through a nozzle as wide as desired. Any mould can be filled within a time of from 10 to 20 seconds.

I claim:

1. In an injection molding machine, for use with thermosetting materials in a flowable state, an operating cylinder having a charging opening at one end and an outlet nozzle at the other end adapted for engagement with a mold, a single piston slida-ble within and forming a clearance fit with the cylinder wall, the head end of said piston being reciprocable between axial positions at each side of the charging opening of said cylinder, said piston having on its head a plurality of symmetrical helicoidal lands shaped so as to define between them a plurality of grooves which extend from a point on the circumferential wall of the piston spaced from its head end, inwardly and towards the head end of the piston, to meet at a point on the axis of the piston at the head end thereof, the piston shaft being substantially smooth rearward of the piston head, means for charging said material in a fiowable state into the charging opening of the cylinder while the piston is in its back position so as to free the charging opening, means externally on the wall of the cylinder for selectively heating and cooling the wall of the cylinder as necessitated by the nature of the material being injected, means for reciprocating the piston with respect to the cylinder, and means coupled to said reciproeating means for revolving the piston with respect to the cylinder during the reciprocation of the piston in a direction of motion contrary to that of the grooves, thereby to tend to form any injection material, which may become separated from the mass in the cylinder and pass into the clearance between the head end of the piston and the cylinder wall into rolls having a diameter corresponding to the Width of said clearance, and thereby further to cause any such rolls of injection material to rotate with respect to the piston head in the clearance and to be eventually collected in those parts of the grooves removed from the piston head and to be returned along said grooves into the mass of injection material in the cylinder.

2. In an injection molding machine as claimed in claim 1, means for cooling the head end of the piston, thereby to cause a layer of injection material in contact with the head end to become relatively stifier than the remainder thereof and to form a sliding fit with the cylinder wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,296,295 Shaw Sept. 22, 1942 2,629,132 Millcox et a1. Feb. 24, 1953 2,734,226 Willert Feb. 14, 1956 2,890,491 Hendry June 16, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 898,805 Germany Dec. 3, 1953 1,143,153 France Sept. 27, 1957 

1. IN AN INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE, FOR USE WITH THERMOSETTING MATERIALS IN A FLOWABLE STATE, AN OPERATING CYLINDER HAVING A CHARGING OPENING AT ONE END AND AN OUTLET NOZZLE AT THE OTHER END ADAPTED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A MOLD, A SINGLE PISTON SLIDABLE WITHIN AND FORMING A CLEARANCE FIT WITH THE CYLINDER WALL, THE HEAD END OF SAID PISTON BEING RECIPROCABLE BETWEEN AXIAL POSITIONS AT EACH SIDE OF THE CHARGING OPENING OF SAID CYLINDER, SAID PISTON HAVING ON ITS HEAD A PLURALITY OF SYMMETRICAL HELICOIDAL LANDS SHAPED SO AS TO DEFINE BETWEEN THEM A PLURALITY OF GROOVES WHICH EXTEND FROM A POINT ON THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL OF THE PISTON SPACED FROM ITS HEAD END, INWARDLY AND TOWARDS THE HEAD END OF THE PISTON, TO MEET AT A POINT ON THE AXIS OF THE PISTON AT THE HEAD END THEREOF, THE PISTON SHAFT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH REARWARD OF THE PISTON HEAD, MEANS FOR CHARGING SAID MATERIAL IN A FLOWABLE STATE INTO THE CHARGING OPENING OF THE CYLINDER WHILE THE PISTON IS IN ITS BACK POSITION SO AS TO FREE THE CHARGING OPENING, MEANS EXTERNALLY ON THE WALL OF THE CYLINDER FOR SELECTIVELY HEATING AND COOLING THE WALL OF THE CYLINDER AS NECESSITATED BY THE NATURE OF THE MATERIAL BEING INJECTED, MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING THE PISTON WITH RESPECT TO THE CYLINDER, AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID RECIPROCATING MEANS FOR REVOLVING THE PISTON WITH RESPECT TO THE CYLINDER DURING THE RECIPROCATION OF THE PISTON IN A DIRECTION OF MOTION CONTRARY TO THAT OF THE GROOVES, THEREBY TO TEND TO FORM ANY INJECTION MATERIAL, WHICH MAY BECOME SEPARATED FROM THE MASS IN THE CYLINDER AND PASS INTO THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE HEAD END OF THE PISTON AND THE CYLINDER WALL INTO ROLLS HAVING A DIAMETER CORRESPONDING TO THE WIDTH OF SAID CLEARANCE, AND THEREBY FURTHER TO CAUSE ANY SUCH ROLLS OF INJECTION MATERIAL TO ROTATE WITH RESPECT TO THE PISTON HEAD IN THE CLEARANCE AND TO BE EVENTUALLY COLLECTED IN THOSE PARTS OF THE GROOVES REMOVED FROM THE PISTON HEAD AND TO BE RETURNED ALONG SAID GROOVES INTO THE MASS OF INJECTION MATERIAL IN THE CYLINDER. 